Lucknow: The Congress and the Left have accused the BJP governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh of trying to silence those raising questions about the Pahalgam massacre and national security after two social media influencers were booked for posting “objectionable” content in the wake of the terror attack on April 22.

Uttar Pradesh police have booked Madri Kakoti alias Dr Medusa and Neha Singh Rathore for “hurting national integration and religious sentiments”. Kakoti is an assistant professor of linguistics at Lucknow University, while Rathore is a folk singer.

Pawan Khera, chairman of the Congress’s media and publicity department, posted on X on Tuesday that the Narendra Modi government was trying to gag artistes, YouTube channels and satirists for asking questions on national security. “Modiji, national security is in danger not from those who ask questions but from your MPs who spit poison day and night…. Take action against Pakistan and not against your own countrymen,” Khera wrote in Hindi.

The Jan Sanskriti Manch, a cultural organisation associated with the CPIML, said the registration of cases against Kakoti and Rathore was an “attack by the fascists on democracy”.

Kakoti’s post in Hindi, which invited police action, said: “Shooting someone after asking their religion is terrorism. And lynching after asking the religion, removal from job after asking religion, not giving a house (on rent) after asking religion, bulldozing a house after asking religion is also terrorism. Identify the real terrorists.”

Kakoti was booked on a complaint by Jatin Shukla, who alleged that she “is continuously attacking the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India” with her posts.

Pramod Kumar Pandey, the investigating officer, said Kakoti was booked for her assertion against “national integration, hurting religious feelings and breach of peace”.

Kakoti told the media that she had not done anything wrong. “It is beyond my understanding why I can’t say normal things,” she said.

Ashish Srivastava, deputy commissioner of police, said Rathore was booked on the complaint of Abhay Pratap Singh “for inciting one community against the other, promoting sectarian animosity and endangering the integrity of India”.

She had posted a video on X alleging that the Pahalgam attack was being used to gain political mileage just like the Pulwama attack.

“What did the government do after the Pahalgam attack? An FIR against me? Is it so difficult to understand that the government is trying to divert people’s attention from the attack?” Rathore said on Tuesday.